Employment Rights Bill

The Employment Rights Bill was launched last week, outlining the new reforms the Government wish to make. They have outlined 28 reforms that look to improve working conditions and drive growth in the economy.

My focus is on the Equality (Race and Disability Bill). This is to be delivered in Autumn 2025. Below are the areas the Bill will address;

• extending pay gap reporting to ethnicity and disability for employers with more than 250 staff and measures on equal pay
• extending equal pay rights to protect workers suffering discrimination on the basis of race or disability
• ensuring that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay
• implementing a regulatory and enforcement unit for equal pay with involvement from trade unions

The government will begin consulting on this legislation in due course, with a draft bill to be published during this parliamentary session for pre-legislative scrutiny. Further consultation will also take place prior to the making of secondary legislation implementing these reforms.

It would be interesting to know, what will be contained in the consultation. Will there be an opportunity for experts to advise on the content? How widely will they be consulting? Will it be aimed at all sectors? How will they use the results to shape the proposed Bill?

In 2018 the Conservative Government began consulting on the Ethnicity Pay Gap. It took a long time to hear back and, led to no action from the Conservative Government. However, the Conservative Government's inaction increased the actions of the #EthnicityPayGap Campaign. If the Conservative Government were prepared not to do anything, the #EthnicityPayGap Campaign would make sure the voice of those affected by the Ethnicity Pay Gap would be heard and, it would work with organisations to help them be more aware of the impact that it has on the people working in their organisations.

We must remember the lessons of 2018 and make sure that the current Government follow through on their actions which I hope they will. We cannot be complacent and leave everything to the Government, we must recognise that we have a role to play to ensure that the results of any consultation benefit those affected.

I will continue to be the voice of the #EthnicityPayGap Campaign and I will continue to work towards fair pay for all by doing my best to ensure that Black, Asian and other minoritised people are paid fairly. Ethnicity Pay Gap Day is on the 8th of January 2025 which will be an opportunity for organisations and individuals to share what they are planning to do or what they are doing in this space. It is a chance for employee resource groups to organise conversation hubs to help support their colleagues and work with key stakeholders to have a strategic plan to assist with the communications strategy to help embed the organisation's Ethnicity Pay Gap objectives.

I am hopeful for positive, actionable change that will benefit those affected by the Ethnicity Pay Gap. I hope the support given to organisations is clear and well thought out to help prepare them for the changes ahead. We don't have to wait for the changes however, we can prepare just by asking ourselves who is in the organisation and where are my Black, Asian and other minoritised employees represented in the organisation. What is within my capability to ensure that I have made work pay for all?